Love Will Come Through
by BrucasRocks
Summary: Brookecentric. Lucas betrays Brooke and tries to earn her trust back, while facing the possibility of never being able to redeem himself. In the process, the entire gang finds out that there is more to Brooke than she lets on.Mostly Brucas, NH&JP too.
1. I'm Fooling Myself

Disclaimer- I don't own OTH or anything of that nature! I do own this story! It's my first fanfic so don't kill me... Please Review!

Chapter 1- I'm Fooling Myself

Normally she would have been totally content at this moment. "So I'm in my gorgeous car, and I love the rain, and my favorite song is playing, and I have hot chocolate. But this day still sucks. Oh yeah, I just had the most difficult conversation I've ever had in my life," she thought. Brooke was at his house when she found out. She wanted to check on him, to see if he was okay, to even tell him that she was willing to be his friend, if that's what he needed. It was brave of her, considering the fact that he had just broken up with her a day ago. After a long conversation with Karen about her trip to Italy, she went to his room; he wasn't there. His computer was on. He had Peyton's site minimized at the bottom of the screen. She restored the page, and there it was. Peyton and Lucas on the bed, kissing. Lucas Scott, star basketball player, the epitome of all that was good and kind, had broken her heart that day. She knew that she loved him; it killed her that the fear she had always had in the back of her mind had been confirmed. The fallout between her and Lucas Scott had happened just a few hours ago. It made her cringe…

_Flashback_

_Her studio door opened, and she knew it was him. She could sense him a mile away. _

"_Hey Cheery," he said it so gently, without a hint of regret for what he had been doing with Peyton less than a day ago. She didn't acknowledge him; she just ran her fingers across the cold surface of the black baby grand in front of her. Positioning her hands in the correct formation, she began playing. Lucas had never heard her play before. The sonata was poignant. The notes were crisp; it would have taken a skilled pianist to even make an attempt to play such a piece. As she moved her fingers across the piano with amazing precision, she channeled every emotion she had into the piece. It was as if she was numb, even if it was just for a moment. At this point, Lucas had stopped listening to the music, but was awed by its player. She had told him that she dabbled with the piano, but she had never told him what an amazing player she was. It was evident that she was a pianist of the highest caliber. After she finished playing, she just looked down at her fingers. Although he was staring at her, she refrained from even acknowledging him. She was falling apart under his gaze. _

"_God, Brooke, that was amazing. You never told me you could play so well." She was doing everything she could possibly do to avoid his gaze._

"_It's a personal thing. What are you doing here, Lucas? " _

"_A few days ago you said that if I needed you to be my friend that you would be there for me… I need you in my life, Brooke, even if all we are is friends." He noticed the pained look on her face. He immediately knew that something wasn't right._

"_Well, that's going to be impossible, Lucas, considering the fact that I can't even look you in the face anymore." _

_She looked up. There were tears in her eyes, and a few cascading down her cheeks. In a swift stride he made his made his over from his seat on a leather armchair to the piano bench where she was sitting. They were sitting in opposite directions, but facing one another. She refused to look at him. Sitting right next to her, he had never felt so disconnected, and it hurt like hell. That feeling puzzled him. _

"_Oh God, what have I done," he thought. Yet not far behind, there was a deep feeling of regret and more confusion. He had convinced himself of his feelings for Peyton, but he hadn't seen Brooke in a day and as soon as she was in the vicinity of him; his skin was screaming for her touch. "But you broke up with her, remember?" The voice of reason was still in his head, telling him to keep his distance because they weren't together anymore. _

_He lifted his hand to and ran his thumb along her cheek, and grazed her jaw line. His fingers reaching her chin, he tilted her face upwards, trying to get her to look at him. He hoped to hell that she hadn't noticed his heart out to beat its way out of his chest. He felt like a hurt child when she averted his gaze once more._

"_What's going on, Brooke? Why are you angry with me?" She got out of his grasp and off the bench. She started pacing around the room, an unfortunate habit she learned from none other than Lucas. _

"_You know exactly why, you idiot. But she doesn't know. Does she?" his guilt kept echoing the thoughts in his head. _

_She inhaled sharply, in an effort to stop herself from crying. _

"_I need to be alone, Luke. Just leave me alone."_

"_No, not until you talk to me. What's wrong?" He knew exactly what was wrong. He hoped that his greatest fear for the last few weeks wasn't coming true. _

"_Amazing. It's like you don't already know." Her voice was a soft but harsh whisper. It didn't matter, because the only sound that could be heard now was the sound of the rain pounding the ground outside. _

"_You really want to know what's wrong, Lucas? Us. Me. You and Peyton. I know the truth about you two. You lied to me, Lucas." _

_Her resistance was weak and she suddenly let go. Holding it in didn't help. The tears were coming, and it was one of those rare moments when Brooke Davis was totally and completely vulnerable. _

_So that was it; she knew. Yet he felt no relief, no weight being lifted off his shoulders. Just the opposite, he felt his heart breaking at the site in front of him. The most giving, captivating, selfless, vibrant girl he knew was suffering because of him. He wondered for a long moment if any of it was even worth it; if just being with Peyton was worth causing so much pain to Brooke. _

"_Brooke…" He had no clue what he could possibly say to make this any better for her. He knew that there was nothing he could say._

_Desperate to find some way to make her feel better, he reached out to her. She immediately brushed his hand away. _

"_Don't you dare touch me! Don't you ever touch me!" he recoiled at her harsh tone, knowing full well he deserved it and much more._

"_Brooke, we weren't trying to hurt-" he was cut off by her holding her hand up to silence him. _

"_I can't listen to this, I can't do this now. I have to go." She grabbed her things quickly and was on her way to the door before he could even get to her. She stopped, still facing the door, "Stay away from me, Lucas. Don't come here again. Lock the door on your way out." She had said that to him as if he was nobody to her. If it was even possible, he felt worse. _

_"Shit!" Lucas cursed himself for his lack of eloquence and his ability to get himself into the most awful situations. _

_(End of Flashback)_


	2. Chapter 2: A Side They Don't Know

Disclaimer- I don't own OTH or its characters. But I wish I did! Felix and Chris would be locked in the trunk of a car! Review please!

Chapter 2- A Side They Don't Know

As she drove home in the pouring rain she thought about why she had even let Lucas in.

"I could snap my fingers at this exact moment and I would have fifty guys lined up begging to be my love slave. But they one guy I want, cheated on me with my best friend. God, life really sucks. Bonus, I've been practicing piano for 12 hours straight without any sleep and I've had about, oh, 6 Red Bulls. I feel gross right now. UUGGHH." She had spent the last few hours at the Rivercourt, just pacing there in the pouring rain. It was something they had in common, the tendency to pace and their love of rain. Pulling up into the driveway, she was glad to finally be home. The hours of fatigue and emotional stress took their toll. She felt like she could pass out in her car at any moment. Finally getting inside the house, the first thing she saw was a portrait of her "family". "My, how incredibly perfect. The model family, consisting of: the cold-hearted bastard of a demanding father who always picks the daughter apart, the basket case gold-digging mother, and the popular-with-a-hidden-side daughter. If people only knew what happened to me last summer. The entire town might die of shock," she thought.

Brooke had always held people at arm's length. She guessed that she had always felt that if no one could get close enough to the real her, that she would never get hurt. This defense mechanism only strengthened after the incident that happened with her dad, James Davis. He was a sharp man, a Yale grad. He was a lawyer, and doctor, and the CEO of the biggest pharmaceutical company in the world. Definitely in the Fortune 500 and talked about in all the business magazines frequently, James was highly respected and feared. James had high aspirations and the resources and money to back them. A cunning businessman and person, he had always been known to win. It was no surprise that Dan Scott had been a "friend" of his since he was a child. He was willing to do anything to win, even if it meant hurting people. His one weakness was his daughter, Brooke. She was most definitely the apple of his eye, his heart. James Davis only loved one person in this world. He even referred to her as his "angel".

They had an odd relationship; they weren't known to be too close, but were fiercely loyal and protective of one another. People knew that the only match for James Davis was his daughter, who apparently, did not give a damn about his business. The pair both knew that she had always resented him for his meager presence in her life and his tendency to try to control her existence. Yet James thought he knew what was best, so he always tried to pick her apart to make her the perfect person to inherit his fortune and glory. They frequently fought each other, because Brooke had never bought into the same thinking as her father had; a life of high society and diplomacy. People respected the Davis family, but were also very jealous, just waiting and watching for their lives to fall apart. James knew this but Brooke had not yet become as cynical as he was. James Davis had secrets, secrets that people would kill for; secrets he had passed on to his unwilling and guiltless daughter.

Although neither father nor daughter would admit it, they had a few things in common, some being the "Davis Charm", as many people called it, and their fierce loyalty to their friends and family. He saw the goodness in his daughter, something he sorely lacked, and he knew that his enemies would exploit her to get to him if they had the chance. James only wanted to protect his daughter, and his belief was that emotion is weakness. So he decided to love his daughter at a distance, always afraid that his "business dealings" as he liked to call them, would poison his daughter's life. When she was a year old he moved his family to his childhood home, hoping to give her a life away from the press that hounded him and his family, always wanting a piece of them. He taught her to be tough, independent, emotionally unattached, and had trained her to be the heir to his throne, always knowing that Brooke would never sink to levels that he had. Brooke and he both knew that his business dealings weren't exactly legitimate. He was a multi-millionaire, but he had paid a price for his success, and secured his family's fortune, but he knew that his daughter was a better person than him and had a better future than him.

Bianca Davis was a whole other story. She only cared about her social life, and being at the right party at the right time. It never occurred to her to be a mother to Brooke. Her role was that of the trophy wife, and she had never bothered to be present in any aspect of Brooke's life. Her passive role had made Brooke develop a deep hatred for her, because she had seen how some mothers loved their children, like Anna Sawyer or Karen Roe did, and it killed her that her own mother couldn't give a damn. Bianca was fine spending James's money and accompanying him to all the parties, keeping up all the false pretense and drinking herself into a stupor each night.

So Brooke adopted the habits of each of her parents, the edge, sharpness, the numbness and cunning of her father, and the falseness and ability to party from her mother. She was an enigma, always showing different sides of herself to suit herself at a particular moment. It was her insurance. The things no one knew about her, made her feel safe. The moment she had dreaded, finally came. She let Lucas Scott into her life, enough to know the real her, and he had broken her heart. Sinking to her knees, her back against the door, she sobbed because for once she couldn't protect herself from it.


	3. Chapter 3: I Fall Apart

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH or any of it's characters, blah, blah, woof, woof.

Hello People! Sorry if I waited too long to update. I planned to update on Friday, but the servers were down and I couldn't. Sorry if the chapter is too short; that's just how it's written. Also, I'm not making Brooke be pregnant in my story. Been there, read that. Not trying to offend anyone, but that's just how I feel about this story. I want this story to be original. Please Please Please review! They keep me going and motivate me to write more! I plan to update like, once a week.

To All the People Who Reviewed: 

sweetgirl73- Thank you! I love it when people review my story! Did you know that you were the first review I ever got? And thank you, I try my best with Brooke's characterization and her family's. Sorry, but what happened to her last summer is not going to get out until a lot later into this story.

0621- I read your story and I think it's awesome! Thank you for your compliments! Personally, I think you are a much better writer than I am. I don't know, I think everyone has a sort of hidden side and I am trying to show Brooke's in this story. This new side of Brooke is already evident on the show; there's a bit of a difference in her character this season.

Lauryn2- Aw, thanks! The whole piano thing was just an idea that popped in my head. Also, I just wanted to make Brooke have a hidden talent, because personally, I think she's one of the most intriguing characters on the show. There will probably be a few piano scenes throughout the chapters, just because Brooke has a lot of inner demons to battle with, and the piano is sort of cathartic for her. Also, I essentially want Brooke's dad to be seen as a sort of flawed person who really does love his daughter. He's not as mean as Danny Scott. lol

l-a-c-18- Thank you! Your story is on my favorites list! It's really cool when someone who has written an amazing story thinks your story is amazing! Yeah, I am a Brooke fan and the story sort of centers around her and her history. Grr… Last season, the writers of OTH were total Peyton-shippers... I don't hate her; I just love Brooke way more. lol

Chapter 3- I Fall Apart

Thinking about her parents made her feel even more horrible, if that was even possible. "It doesn't matter, they're only here ten months out of the year anyways," she thought. She made her way to her room, shivering, not knowing whether if it was because she was cold, or because of the darkness her parents made her feel. Wanting to relax for a while, she changed into royal blue silk pajamas, with a black satin camisole with matching underwear underneath. Walking next door to her father's study, she felt instantly more relaxed. It was a place of comfort, bringing back memories of sitting in her father's lap listening to him read stories to her when she was a little girl. Granted, they were stories about Machiavelli and Alexander the Great, but they were still her fondest memories of the closeness she once shared with her father. It was an old-fashioned, manly study; a gigantic room with an executive desk and large leather armchair, and rows and rows of shelves lined with first-editions of classic novels and reference books. "Lucas would die to have this collection," she thought, running her fingers along the numerous leather bindings and reprimanding herself for even thinking about him.

She made her way over to the wet bar on the other side of the room and poured herself a bit of twenty-five year- old scotch in a crystal glass. "Yet another thing I share with Dad, a penchant for good scotch. God help me," she knew that he would've been furious if he knew she was drinking. "I enjoy pissing people off," she thought, chuckling. She sat down on the large couch in the room, and using the remote, she turned on the fireplace. Sipping the scotch, she began to finally relax. She was staring at the fire, hypnotized by the flickering of the vibrantly-colored flames. "Scotch is good," she thought, giggling to herself, because she knew the stuff tasted like poison, but it was only out of habit that she liked it. The room started to spin and bile began to rise in her throat. "What the hell? I didn't even drink a quarter of a glass, Oh Shit!" She remembered that for the past twenty-four hours she had been running on pure emotion and about six cans of red bull and a few cups of coffee. "When was the last time I slept…? Oh yeah, the day before I found out. Oh Shit!" The feeling wasn't subsiding. Now fully aware that she was about to be sick, she quickly ran to her bathroom, and began hurling into the toilet, gripping the sides tightly to try to vent to pain she was feeling. The fatigue of practicing piano for hours and hours, consuming nothing but caffeine and going without sleep for so long had finally gotten to her.

She stayed there for a few hours, wretching the bitter nothingness out of her already-empty stomach. A small breeze blew through the open window. The dark bathroom was oddly comforting; it smelled like the jasmine candles she loved to light, the marble floor was smooth and cold. Her pajama top was soaked with a combination of sweat and tears. After she was sure she was done, she leaned back, sitting against the cold wall. Tremors from vomiting for so long sent waves throughout her entire body. She wasn't used to losing control over her own body like that. Taken by a cold sweat, she was shivering, but felt as if she was burning at the same time. She wasn't sure if she had been crying out of pain or frustration. The truth was that it was probably both. Grasping for the last of her energy, she slowly unbuttoned her top, trying to get the drenched piece of lingerie off her body. After an extraordinary effort, she was finally free of the restrictive clothing, her upper body left only to be covered with the black satin camisole. Leaning back into the wall, she cradled her throbbing head in her hands, her elbows propped up on her knees. She couldn't remember a time when she felt this awful, even during the most wicked hangover. Her head was pounding the blood into her ears so loudly that she didn't even hear him enter. Startled by the human contact, she shoved the hand that had been caressing her cheek a moment ago away. She could recognize that touch anywhere. Warmth, calluses from basketball… It screamed Lucas. It had taken all her willpower not to nuzzle into the familiar comfort of his touch.

"Lucas. What the hell are you doing here? I thought I made it pretty damn clear that I never wanted to see you again the last time I saw you." Intending for the question to come out as a harsh yell, she was surprised to hear it come out as a low growl. She wasn't too surprised, since she had been vomiting for hours and her voice was dead.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," once again he was at a loss for words. He couldn't ever recall feeling so guilty. It was clear how destroyed she was. He had seen how hurt she was at the studio, and even then… Something wasn't right with him. He had broken up with her, to be with Peyton, but he was drawn back to her. There was another feeling, one that made him want to pull her into his arms, wipe her tears away, and just kiss her.

She couldn't believe the nerve of him. The cheating bastard was actually standing there and pretending to care about her. But he was just like everyone else in her life. He only hurt her in the end. She let out a small spiteful laugh.

"You're kidding me, right? Okay, so I find out that you actually dumped me for my best friend, whom by the way, you were screwing around on me with. And you're here asking me if I'm okay." Her fiery hazel-green eyes were focused on his cool oceanic blue ones. It felt good; to yell at him, to cause him some pain, even if it was just a fraction of the pain he had caused her.

"I'm sorry." He looked genuinely hurt and ashamed. He was reduced to a shell of the person she had fell in love with.

"Just leave, Lucas" she noticed how hurt he looked. She wanted to rip into him some more, but she was weak. In the end, she told him to leave because she could never hurt him like he did her. She loved him, even if he didn't love her; she would never be able to do it. What Brooke didn't know was that he was slowly dying inside. The revelations of earlier had shaken him to his core. He had learned how he really felt, and it scared the hell out of him. He was rightfully afraid that he had lost the best thing that had ever happened to him.


	4. Chapter 4: The Too Late Revelation

Hey people! I know this chapter is short, but the next chapter is really, really, long, I promise! Sorry if this chapter is badly written, lol. I have impairment when it comes to writing Peyton/Lucas interactions… It's way too awkward. Anyways, I did my best to put as much humor in this chapter as possible. The next chapter has to do with a little Lucas/Haley/Nathan conversation about what's been going on. Sorry if Brooke doesn't make a cameo into the next few chapters, but I had to put them in to set up the story. Exposition sucks, I'm sorry to do that to all of you. Hey, at least we'll be learning about a few hidden relationships between a few of our characters. I think the Naley fans should stick around for the next chapter (Sorry if you hate Naley, but I like them. Still, this is mainly a Brooke/Brucas fic! I love them!)… Hint. Hint.

Hey, guys, thanks to all of you who reviewed! Please keep reviewing!

**_l-a-c-18_****_- Thank you for liking that last chapter! I originally had it very different, but at the last moment, I just rewrote it… So thank you! About getting to see Brooke and Lucas's thoughts, that is just sort of my style, and as we all know, people think very differently from what they say, so I just thought that everyone should have a view into what's actually going on in their heads._**

**_Emma Wemma- Aww... Thank you for that wonderful compliment! Feel free to say anything you want about me after that last statement! Thank you for loving my fic!_**

**_sweetgirl73- Thanks for sticking around! So yes, Brooke is going to be standing her ground for a while, and Lucas will be seeing the error of his ways for a while._**

**_brucasfanatic- Hey my fellow BPPer! How awesome! You like my fic! Thanks for your advice, I did change my settings. Still not getting the overwhelming response I'd hoped for, but I guess it takes time! Lol, and yes, Lucas is a jerk of a manwhore in the beginning of this story, sorry, but we all know Lucas has the tendency to be quite pathetic sometimes…Grr. What a wuss. Geez, why didn't he tell her already? _**

**_tardychick- Thank you! I hope you stick around!_**

**_doodlebah-Thanks! I'm glad you thought it was a strong chapter. I wasn't too sure about it. _**

**_wllis- I'm glad you like it! You'll get more every week, I promise. _**

**_Ali213- Thank you for reviewing! I hope you continue to! Yes, Brooke is very fiery and passionate, I think, the most out of any character on OTH. I hope I did her justice in this fic. _**

Please guys, review ! It helps to motivate me to write better, longer, chapters! Just so all of you know, this chapter's events take place before Lucas went to check on Brooke, thus the italicized _Earlier _at the beginning of this chapter.

Chapter 4- The Too-Late Revelation

_Earlier_

Lucas left Brooke's studio in a daze. He couldn't understand why he had felt what he had when he found out that Brooke knew the truth. On the drive to Peyton's house he thought about his relationship with Brooke. Their first date, their first kiss, the night they sat on his porch, just talking and kissing for hours after he had convinced her to be with him, and that he loved the fact that she was different from him. Never in his life had he felt more at ease with another person than Brooke. He parked the truck, mulling over what he was going to say to Peyton. This was always a flaw in their relationship; he had to calculate every action to elicit the proper reaction, but with Brooke, everything just seemed to ebb and flow when they were together. He sat there, with his hands at two and ten, just scrutinizing the situation he was in. He finally got out of the truck and knocked on the door. Peyton answered, her perpetually messy hair put up in a wet bun. Her attire was very casual; trading her jeans and concert tees for a pair of particularly ratty red sweats, and a long-sleeved grey shirt. She got one look at him, and let out a long string of curses under her breath. If they both weren't in such an awkward situation, the scene would have actually been quite funny.

"Peyton. Considering your initial reaction, I know you probably don't want to see me right now. But this is important and it has everything to do all that's happened between us." He was calm and completely numb; all his emotions had been used up when he saw how broken Brooke was, and what a gargantuan mistake he had made when he let her go.

"Okay. We probably should." She let him in the house; she wasn't looking forward to this.

They sat down on Peyton's couch, each unsure of what to say next.

"Well, the conversation is coming to a wonderful start." Peyton was never at a loss for a wry comment.

Lucas was in no mood for any jokes.

"Look, Peyton. I went to Brooke last night. I found out that she knew about everything before you did. Later, I saw her confront you on the webcam. She's hurt Peyton, and angry."

"Lucas, when we first got into this mess I was scared, and I had just recovered from a huge shock… And from there, everything just got so screwed up. I just felt, lonely, and I knew that at one time you had a thing for me, so I think I turned my crush for you into something more. But now, because of everything I did, Brooke's hurt. I've begun to realize… that." She was cut off by him.

"We were just an infatuation. You turned to me because you felt lonely, and I turned to you because I thought that I still felt what I felt for you when I couldn't have you, and I had built up the way I felt up for you in my mind, but it's just not there. It's not real. I know now that neither of us feels it. You've begun to realize that it's not worth it." Peyton was crying now, because she knew that everything he had just said was true.

"Peyton, she looked so hurt, and I –had never felt so guilty in my entire life. I'm in love with her, Peyton. I love Brooke. I know that I wouldn't feel this awful if I had done this to any other girl. She's different- the only one that I could ever... Look, I was too stupid to realize that when she was right there, telling me that she needed me and loved when I was unconscious, or when I told her that I loved that we were different, or when we were walking in the rain, not caring if we were getting soaked because we were together. And now she hates me and I don't blame her."

They were both crying at this point. Peyton because she had played a major role in breaking her best friend's heart, and Lucas, because he felt like a fool who had just destroyed the girl he was in love with. The two just sat there for a while, just crying.

"Hey Scott, don't be so sad. Brooke would've dumped you sooner or later. She's too good for you. You know that?" She was smiling through her tears, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, I knew she was too good for me when she told me she still wanted to be friends. I still can't help but feel horrible; I ruined a good thing." He laughed lightly, even though he felt like he couldn't breathe.

She patted his knee. "It'll be okay, Luke. She won't admit it now, but she's head over heels for you. Just try to gain her trust again and maybe after some time passes she'll give you another chance." Peyton was trying not to sound unsure, but she was. She didn't know if Brooke would ever speak to either one of them again, and she knew that if she was in the same situation, she wouldn't have spoken to either of them too.

He picked up on this. "And what if she doesn't, Peyton? She made it pretty clear that she'll never forgive me. Hell, I'll never forgive myself." He couldn't help but feel hopeless.

"Lucas. Get a grip. All this shit just happened a few days ago. She needs time. We have to make her trust us again. I never said it was going to be easy."

"I'm an idiot. I can't believe I might never see her smile at me again, or hear her voice all me boyfriend, or watch her sleep, or smell her hair or…"

"Yes, you are an idiot. And damn, have you got it bad."

"Hey, Peyt? Did you know she could play the piano that well? She surprised the hell out of me."

"Wow. She really must love you. She didn't even let me see her play until, like, we had been friends for ten years, or something. Just so you know, we've been friends since we were toddlers. I have a feeling B Davis has a lot of hidden talents. She really doesn't reveal herself until she thinks she's safe with you. We broke that trust. We have to get it back."

"I know. But right now, I don't think there's a thing we can do. I'm just afraid that she feels alone right now. I really don't think she's going to confide in those airheads on your cheerleading squad." He felt guilty for taking her best friend away.

"Maybe we should have Haley check on her. She won't say it, but she has a soft spot for Brooke. I remember she tore you a new one when she found out about us."

"I'd better be going. I have to go talk to Haley about Brooke. Peyton, maybe we'd better keep our distance for a while. I mean, I want to be friends, but it would hurt Brooke to see us together... "

"You're right Luke. We'll keep our distance. I have to get going too. I'm on babysitting duty."

"Jenny?"

"Yup, Jake needs me to cover for him. He has to work a shift at the café."

"Peyton, you really like Jake, don't you?" Both of their faces start to redden. It was an awkward subject.

"Yeah, I think I do." Lucas smiled and got off the couch and made his way towards the door with Peyton following him.

"Good for you, Peyton. Jake's a good guy. Anyways, I'll see you around, Peyton. I've got to go grovel to Haley."

"Hey Luke," she called after him as he made his way to the truck. He turned around,

"Give it time. She won't forgive you right away. But she's in love with you and you can't forget that."

"Thanks Peyton." He waved and got in the truck. He took off, hoping that someday he could redeem himself. Today he would have to settle for having his best friend help the situation.


	5. Chapter 5: All That We Knew

To All My Regulars: Hey guys! Thanks for reading, and I'm so, so, so, sorry about my lack of punctuality while updating this chapter. I know it's a lame excuse, but I had a lot of schoolwork, and this chapter was particularly long and hard to knock out. I'm not going to do the personal shout-out thing today, just cause this chapter is really, really, long. So to EVERYONE who reviewed, THANK YOU! This chapter I'm definitely pimping Nathan as the good guy, just because I love him. (and his body… I'm sorry, lol) It's really long, so just bear with me here, because I promise it'll get better. Also, I like the idea of a Brathan friendship, so I put it in. Just so all of you know, the italicized parts are the characters' thoughts. This chapter is what I wish would've happened in terms of friendships and support last season on the show. People treated Brooke really badly last season; basically she had no support after the incident. I'm trying to make this story as original as I can, but I'm having a few troubles… I'm having all these ideas for the story, but I'm afraid they might be too absurd or just plain played out. I've already started on future chapters of Brooke and Lucas angst, so I'm really excited! Also, I know people a lot of times read and don't review, but please, REVIEW! It helps motivate me! I'm adopting Kaos's new motto, If You Read, Review!

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Chapter 5- All That We Knew

"Pleeeaaase, Haley!" Luke used his whining six-year-old voice he used to use when he and Haley were kids. He was suddenly reminded of the time in kindergarten when he was begging Haley to build a tree house with him. After leaving Peyton's house he had gone to Brooke's to check on her. He had caught her at the café near the end of her shift, so he could be sure to see her and beg her to do him this one favor.

"Lucas, no. It's none of my business!"

"Oh come on, Haley. We both know you like her! Please, just go check on her. I'm worried about her. The last time I saw her she was exhausted from what looked like vomiting for hours. You know you want to check on her."

She was his only shot to find out what Brooke was going through. Although, he was betting Mouth would be up for nursing Brooke back to health. _"Gross, couldn't he like any other girl besides her?"_ he thought about Mouth's obvious crush on Brooke.

The truth was that Haley really did want to check on Brooke. The only thing stopping her was her own fear. She felt awful for how she had judged Brooke's character before she even got to know her. She thought about her mistakes_. "God, I said she was easy and I told Lucas to give Peyton a chance. Too bad the dumbass did it while he was with Brooke. I remember Brooke was the one who never left his side when he got into the accident. She snuck him his favorite food while he was in the hospital and calmed Karen down when she didn't think Lucas was going to wake up. I saw her at the mall that day that Peyton was avoiding her. I never knew somebody who's constantly surrounded by a crowd of adoring fans could be so alone. I guess it's just part of the act."_ She was angry at herself for misjudging Brooke, but mostly she was angry at Lucas for treating Brooke like crap. Her thoughts were interrupted by Lucas's voice.

"Haley, Haley. Are you going to say something?" Lucas was desperate, and he couldn't understand why his best friend couldn't just do something he knew she wanted to.

He was trying her patience. How dare he expect her to clean up his mess? It was time for the boy to get a reality check.

"Dammit, Lucas Scott, you are such a jackass sometimes!"

She felt a pang of guilt when she saw a startled and hurt look flash across her best friend's face.

"Jesus, Haley, why are you so angry at me?"

"Damn, Lucas. If you need me to explain it to you, then you truly need more help than even I can provide. Hello! You treated Brooke horribly! You used her, and then when you finally figured that you wanted Peyton, you dumped her as soon as you got a chance! And you want to know why I'm angry at you? God, I know she loves you like I love Nathan, and if he did something to me like what you did to Brooke, I don't even know how I would deal with it. So yes, best friend, thatis why I'm angry at you."

"I only have five things to say," the surprised pair turned from their places at the counter to see a very handsome-looking Nathan sitting at one of the tables by the window, with a picnic basket at his feet.

"First of all, Haley, hello, and I love you too." He got up, went behind the counter, and gave her a small smile and two chaste kisses on her forehead. Haley was immediately relaxed by his presence and his kisses. She was in awe, breaking away from her conversation to be drawn in by him. She looked in to his loving blue eyes. He was just as enamored, gazing into her eyes, as if she was the only person he saw.

Lucas just ignored the love-fest. He was used to the two of them being a couple, but it hurt to see two people who loved each other together. It was unbearable because he knew that the only girl he had ever felt for was currently in pain because of him. He had ruined his chance of ever having what those two have.

"Second of all, I would never do anything to you, like what Lucas did to Brooke." He gave her another kiss, this time on the lips, in an effort to reassure her. Haley broke out of her love-trance long enough to get a question out.

"Nathan, what are you doing here? Don't you have to be at work?"

The pair had been so engrossed in their argument that they hadn't even heard Nathan come into the café. He wanted to surprise Haley and take her on a picnic after her shift, but as soon as he saw the interaction between Haley and Lucas he decided to stay out of it and watch, just so he could step in incase Lucas got out of line. Pulling up a chair, he watched the drama unfold_. "I'm pretty sure I got in right at the beginning of the argument. Wow, that's a doozy. I almost feel sorry for him. Haley's sure tearing him a new one. Hmm. What could have my wonder boy brother have done to make her this pissed?"_ A few minutes later he decided to cut in when he heart the part about Brooke being hurt.

"That was the third thing. You really should let me finish when I have something to tell you. I went to work a little earlier so that I could get off of work closer to when you do. I thought we could go on a picnic and hang out for the rest of the day." Haley let out a little laugh, amused by Nathan's quick wit and his ability to make her feel so special.

"Wow. Thank you, babe. I would love to spend the day with you. Now," she gave him a small smile, "what's the fourth thing?"

"Well, I have a question to ask you. What did Lucas do to Brooke, now, finally to fifth," he quickly averted his attention from Haley in order to give Lucas a menacing scowl before continuing, "and how bad am I going to have to kick his ass?"

The brothers had come to a sort of understanding. They were at their, "we're sometimes good friends, but for our pride we pretend we're not" stage. It had been established that Nathan was never going to hurt Haley, so maybe the brothers didn't hate each other anymore, but sometimes there was still a hint of the rivalry they once had.

Lucas had been doing his thing, pretending not to be paying attention, while he really was. The "kicking his ass" part had definitely got his attention. He was already at his breaking point with his dilemmas. The last thing he needed was a screw-up like Nathan pulling his new I'm reformed holier-than-thou crap and rubbing the fact that he had screwed up in his face.

Haley was all too familiar with her boyfriend and best friend's relationship, and she had decided to let it be their secret that they didn't totally hate each other anymore. They were brothers; it was good for them to share a few secrets. She also knew something about Brooke and Nathan's past; it worried her that what Lucas had done might drive a wedge between the brothers. For now, all she could do was sit back and watch the two most important men in her life battle it out; knowing that that somehow it would all be okay in the end.

"Okay, first of all, that's none of your business, and since when did you become so defensive of Brooke? By the way, you couldn't kick my ass if I was crippled, jackhole." He didn't care much about Nathan's response. Only one thing occupied his mind. Brooke. It was always Brooke.

He decided to ignore Lucas's question. It wasn't his business anyways. He was already beginning to get angry at him, so leaving him in suspense was a fine way to torture him. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't describe his past with Brooke. It was unlike any relationship he had ever experienced in his life.

"Ouch, did poor Lukey have a bad day? Well, get you'd better get used to it and worse, because if I find out that you hurt Brooke, today's going to seem like summer camp." Lukey was too busy brooding. It was evident that Lucas wasn't going to say anything to him. He turned to Haley, who he knew wasn't capable of keeping anything from him,

"Haley, what the hell happened? Why does he want you to check on Brooke? You know how I feel about this situation. Please, just tell me." For an added effect, he gave her a look; one that said all he needed her to know without the use of words.

Lucas was too lost in his own world of despair and worry to even keep up with the conversation. He didn't feel like answering anyone's questions, much less Nathan's.

Haley let out a tired sigh. She didn't want Nathan to get angry at Lucas; although she knew it was inevitable. _"I should just get this over with; I don't have anything to lose."_

"Nathan, you're not going to like this at all. In fact, I can guarantee it. Are you sure that you really want to know?"

Nathan sat down next to where Lucas was, signaling that he wasn't going anywhere until he knew the truth.

"If this has to do with Brooke being hurt then, yes, Haley, I'm damn sure. Please just tell me."

This bickering was exhausting. "Why should Lucas's mistakes affect my relationship with Nathan?"

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you. Here goes. Uh, Lucas sort of cheated on Brooke with Peyton, and then he dumped her, and she just found out about all of it and she's sort of really messed up, and Lucas the jackass wants me to check on her." She said all of it really fast, in order to get over with it, so it took a while for all of it to sink in.

"Hey," A waving Lucas interrupted the awkward silence to come to his own defense, "I'm right here! Can you at least wait until I'm gone before you start calling me names?"

Nathan was furious. He balled his punching hand up into a fist, squeezing it, to relieve some of the tension he was feeling towards his brother at this moment.

"Wait. Let me get this straight. You cheated on her with Peyton. Then you dumped her for Peyton. You moron. I'm going to beat your ass." He looked relatively calm, but there was a fire burning in the younger Scott's cool blue eyes. Nathan turned to face his brother, who he was about to punch any moment. It was such a joke, that he was the one that was made out to be the philandering jerk, while Saint Lucas was the one screwing around on an amazing girl like Brooke. He quickly regained his ever-present cool.

"Whatever, Nathan. I don't need your input too. Why don't you just mind your own business? Hey, how about you go back to Hot and Twisted and make some more pretzels?" Lucas instantly felt guilty for what he had just said. _"I should be taking this out on myself. I have nobody to blame but myself." _He knew that Nathan had found a new way and had become independent of Dan's money. The Hot and Twisted comment was a cheap shot.

Nothing could faze Nathan. This was just the beginning. He remembered that he had acted the same way after Haley had told him that she never wanted to see him again; bitter and hateful of the entire world. Things were only going to get worse until the finally got better. He took a step toward his sitting brother, and for a moment, Haley thought that Nathan was going to throw a punch.

"Be careful of what you say, big brother, you just might end up pushing absolutely everyone who cares about you out of your life." He turned back to Haley, who was standing there, looking as if she was about to castrate Lucas.

"Haley," he took her hand, to try to calm her down, because she was still staring daggers at Lucas, "why don't you want to check on Brooke? I thought that you guys are sort of friends. And you know, she's probably feeling really alone right now."

"Nathan, I know all of that. I just, feel badly about how I misjudged her. I treated her as if Lucas was too good for her, and now it turns out that she was the one way too good for him. I guess I just feel ashamed." Haley looked down, truly remorseful for mistake of judging the book by its cover.

Nathan smiled. Besides for Brooke, he had never known such a truly good-natured person, one whose conscience was so strong that it always dictated their actions and emotions.

"Don't feel too guilty. I think that everyone judges someone before they actually get to know them. Take Lucas for example, he thought that Brooke was just some dumb cheerleading slut, but actually she's so far above that. Whatever. Maybe he's too stupid to realize it. God forbid, I screw up royally, and I hurt you badly, Brooke would be there in a minute, kicking my ass, bringing you ice crème, and just being by your side. That's just the type of person she is. " He motioned towards his brooding brother,

"Hell, she's way out of his league. Look, Haley, being a friend is about caring more about someone else's feelings more than you care about your own. If you don't think that you can get past your mistakes, then just tell me, and I'll be the one to be there. I won't hold it against you if you don't want to get involved in this mess. You won't be missing out on anything, besides really getting to know potentially, one of the best friends you could ever have. "

"_I am so lucky, look how sweet he is,"_ Haley smiled inside, because she couldn't believe that this amazing man that was in front of her was the person she least expected to end up with. _"I guess that's just how love is, you should never expect anything."_

"What the hell. I'll give it a shot. Hey, what's Brooke's favorite food? She's probably going to want comfort food."

"Cheeseburger, no onions or tomatoes, with pickles, and an order of fries," chimed Nathan, and Lucas, in unison.

Haley looked at the two brothers, fairly amused and giggling. "That's awesome."

"What? I've known the girl since we were in diapers! Also, I'm a very informed person." A self-satisfied Nathan looked at his depressed brother questioningly. "And you? What's your lame excuse?"

"Uh, she was my girlfriend. I think I would know what she likes and doesn't like. " He stressed the word was, adding to his own misery.

"_Too bad you didn't know that she doesn't like infidelity, jackass,"_ thought Nathan, while looking at his brother.

"I see Brooke did a fine job of whipping you both," Haley was enjoying this, knowing full well that she had done the same thing to at least one of the boys.

"Haley, the only person that has me whipped is you," Nathan replied, not ashamed of being a caring boyfriend, which garnered a huge grin from Haley.

"Aww, that's like, the nicest thing that anyone had ever said to me. I'd better go get Brooke's food ready."

"I'll second that notion. You are pretty whipped, Nathan."

"Dude, look who's talking! If I know Brooke, she probably had your ass running over to the drugstore to buy tampons."

"Hey, I was just being a good boyfriend and caring for my girl when she felt like crap," defending himself was becoming his main job today.

"Whatever," Nathan was enjoying the friendly banter with his brother; surprised that he had missed out on fun times like these for his entire life. "The same goes for me."

"Yeah, but I would never admit to being whipped," chuckled Lucas. He had the feeling that his brother was the only one that could lift his spirits.

"Let's go hang out at the rivercourt and try to shoot some ball around, you know, since your shoulder's healing up," Nathan mentioned casually, although it was actually a plan to get an explanation from Lucas.

"Yeah, that's a good ide-"

Haley interrupted the two, with a large paper bag in each hand, shunning Lucas and gesturing for Nathan to follow her. She made her way over to the door, with Nathan in tow.

"Okay, Brooke food's ready, and I took the liberty of packing a lot of Karen's chocolate cake and some mint-chip ice crème. That's her favorite flavor, right?"

Nathan looked at his girlfriend in surprise. "Yup, that's her favorite. How did you know that, Hales?"

"Ah, you mentioned it to me once, that you and Brooke both had the same favorite flavor of ice cream."

"Wow, you remembered that?" It was actually very sweet, he thought. Most girls who dated him were to busy reveling in the glow of dating Nathan Scott, the basketball superstar, that they didn't hear a word of anything he said. Then again, Haley James was unlike any of the girls he had ever dated.

"I never forget anything you say, babe." She was answered by a kiss on the lips and a gentle hug. Still stunned, she put the bags on a nearby table, so she could concentrate on Nathan.

"Thank you for doing this for Brooke, and for actually listening to me when I talk," he whispered in her ear, as he held her.

"Thanks for being such a good boyfriend, sorry we couldn't hang out today as planned," she whispered back.

"We have the rest of our lives, Haley." They finally let go of each other. They both looked at Lucas, who was sitting at the counter, just staring at his hands.

She looked at Lucas, her best friend since childhood, and knew that this guy was the lesser him.

"This is ridiculous. Okay, seriously, what is his problem? He's not the one who got cheated on and broken up with. I'm about to kick his ass."

Nathan let out a sigh, feeling somewhat sorry for his brother. His own best friend was getting sick of him.

"There's nothing that you can do or say to him that's going to make him feel any worse than his own conscience can, Hales. We both know he feels guilty. He's still your best friend."

"I don't think he is, Nathan. This isn't the Lucas I know. My best friend Lucas would have never done anything like this."

"Look at him, Hales. He's killing himself over this. He's still the same guy you know. " He never thought that he would be the one to be defending Lucas after what he had done. It was out of pity, mostly.

"I know, Nathan, but I just feel so bad for Brooke. Whatever he's going through, she must feel about a thousand times worse, and I don't think that I can fix it by just having a junk food sleepover."

"It's not your responsibility to fix it, Hales," he said rubbing her arm, "all you can do now is just to be a friend to Brooke. All three of us can have breakfast tomorrow. I'll come over to her house, since you'll probably be spending the night there. I'm going to hang out with Lucas at the rivercourt and maybe get some answers out of him."

"That's a good idea. I'm going to say bye to Luke."

They made their way over to Lucas, who stood up quickly, looking very unsure of himself.

"Hales, thanks for doing this, I-"

Haley got one look at her best friend, wallowing in his misery, and Nathan's words went out the window.

"Lucas Scott, don't you for a moment think that I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this for Brooke. As far as I'm concerned right now, you're a scumbag. Okay, well, I didn't really mean that, I'm just angry. You're my best friend, but you screwed up big time. I didn't really think of it at the time, but I should be yelling at Peyton too right now. Brooke was really good to you. She loved you. How could you do that to her?"

He was exhausted. His own guilt and frustration were getting to him, and there was nothing that Haley could say to him that could make him feel worse than he already did. The most awful part was that his explanation was total crap, and he knew it. He had screwed up; plain and simple, because he wasn't sure about his own feelings. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his mind from the verbal thrashing. Haley was the last person he expected to take Brooke's side, but he knew that what Haley had said wasn't taking anyone's side. He remembered when he had defended Nathan during one of Nathan and Haley's arguments, and Haley had yelled at him about how he was supposed to protect her heart. Now Haley and Nathan were protecting Brooke's heart from any more pain. He was glad that Brooke had support like that. Bracing himself with a deep breath,

"Haley, I… I'm sorry. I can't explain my actions to anyone. All I can say is that I'm sorry I hurt Brooke. It's the last thing I wanted to do."

His hopelessness softened her. It was as if he knew what he had lost.

"I know you're sorry, Luke. I'm sorry I've been so harsh. I guess I just couldn't believe it was you. I never would have thought you were capable of that. I know you made a mistake. It's going to be okay, Luke." She looked at him, and into those fondly familiar blue eyes that held so much sincerity, and gave him a hug. As always, Lucas had no clue what to say.

"Thanks, Hales." He hugged her back; glad that he could always count on Haley to give him hope.

"I should go now. I'll see both of you later. Nathan, don't forget, be at Brooke's house tomorrow morning." She gave him a quick kiss, and grabbed the bags. She walked backwards towards the door, not wanting to break eye contact with Nathan.

"Bye Hales," A smile burst onto his face as Nathan watched the departure of the girl who had turned his world upside down. In a good way, of course. He watched her get into the car and drive away. He broke away from his thoughts to acknowledge his patient brother.

"Ready to go, Luke?"

"Yeah, just give me a second."

He reached into his back pocket, to pull out some money for the coffee that he had. Even if it was him mom's café, it didn't feel right to just eat and go. A corner of a picture was sticking out of his wallet, so he pulled it out. His breath caught in his throat. It was actually a row of five pictures; the kind taken in a small photo booth. He remembered the day they had taken the photos_. "We were at the mall, just fooling around. She pulled me into the booth, and we just goofed around in front of the camera for a while."_ He studied each frame, remembering the time he was in that photo booth with Brooke. _"She's the only person who can turn some mundane trip to the mall one of the most memorable days of my life."_ A sharp pain gripped his chest as he looked at the middle picture in the row. He ran his finger along her image. It was of the two so taken by each other; lost in all the possibilities they could see in each other's eyes. _"We were just kidding around, and I looked into her eyes, and I saw something so beautiful in her. I think she saw something in me too," _he was lost in his own thoughts again. The final two brought tears to his eyes. The rest of the shots were of the two locked in one sweet kiss that he wished could have lasted forever.

Nathan stood there by the door, waiting, watching his brother cry because of the pictures of him with Brooke, and he knew the truth without Lucas having to say a word. _"Lucas is in pain. The type of pain that can only be felt when you lose someone you love,"_ he thought. _"Lucas is in love with Brooke. Damn, he ruined it,"_ he shook his head.

Lucas felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Turning to face his brother, pictures still in hand, he remained silent. Nathan had no idea what he could have said to make Lucas's pain any less. Being raised by Dan, empathy was never his strong suit. He looked at his older brother. There was sorrow etched on his features, and he tried to force a rigid smile as if nothing had happened. Nathan looked at him questioningly.

"I'm fine," he said, not wanting to show emotion.

Nathan decided to let it go. Lucas would talk to him eventually.

"Come on, big brother, let's go." He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder, and led him out of the café.


End file.
